Bottle case



20 INVENTOR.

HTTORNEKE H. C. HAFFNER Dec. 1, 1953 BOTTLE CASE Filed June 19, 1951 Patented Dec. 1, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOTTLE CASE Hugo C. Haflner, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application June 19, 1951, Serial No. 232,379

2 Claims. (oi. 217-22) This invention relates to shipping cases for bottles of beer and other beverages.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved shipping case in which the filler will remain in properly arranged and locked relation until positively removed therefrom.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved shipping case in which the filler may be readily assembled, reversed or replaced, and when properly located in the case, will not become displaced during the handling or shipment of the case.

Other objects of the invention as well as the advantages and novel features of construction thereof, will become apparent after a perusal of the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a top plan view, partly in section, of a beer case made in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, sectional View similar to that of Fig. 2 showing a modified form of the invention; Fig. 5 is a top plan view, partly in section, of another embodiment of the invention, and Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view of the box shown in Fig. 5.

In the drawings, the reference numeral I0 designates the two side walls of the case and the reference numeral I I, the end walls thereof. The

walls It! and II are made of substantially rigid material such as heavy cardboard, wood or any other suitable material and the end walls II may be made of thicker stock than the side walls III. The box may be provided with any suitable bottomsuch as the slatted bottom illustrated and composed of spaced strips suitably secured to the end walls II. The end portions of the case are strengthened as usual, by enveloping metal bands I2 seated in grooves provided in the ends of the side walls III and the strips 20. It will thus be seen that the box or case is formed of the parts In, I I, I2 and 20 to provide a rigid, unitary structure.

For dividing the container into compartments, there are provided two longitudinally extending strips I4 and three transversely arranged strips I3. The strips I3 and I4 are suitably interlocked at their intersections and are made of cardboard or any other suitable material. Preferably a cardboard material about .065 of an inch thick and treated to render it Waterproof, is best suited for the purposes of the invention. While the strips I3 and I4 have substantial rigidity, the

longitudinal strips are of suflicient flexibleness in a transverse direction to enable the ends thereof to be bent in the manner indicated by the dotted line portions thereof in Fig. 1 of the drawings and have sufficient inherent resiliency to I enable such end portions to move to their normal full line positions when released. The depth of i the strips I3 and I4 are thesame and such that they extend upwardly from the bottom of the 10 the casing (note Figs. 2 and 3) casing to a point spaced below the hand holes of The transverse strips I3 have a length greater than the inside width of the case and the ends thereof are located in vertical grooves or slots I5 provided on the side walls I0 and extending throughout the entire depth or width of such side walls. The longitudinal strips I4 have a length slightly less than the inside length of the case.

Provided at the ends of each longitudinal strip I4 are centrally located projections I'I formed to tudinal strips I4 bending or flexing them toward each other in the manner indicated in dotted out- I line in Fig. 1 of the drawings. With the ends of strips I4 so grasped, the ends of the transverse strips I3 are inserted in the slots I5 in the side walls ID of the box and then the filler is pushed down into the box until the bottom edges of the filler engage the slat pieces 20. The ends of the longitudinal strips l4 are then released, to permit the inherent resiliency of the material thereof to straighten outthe ends of such strips, the

projections I'I thereof during the return of such ends entering into the slots I6 in the end walls of the case. When it is desired to remove or reverse the filler so inserted, the same method is followed. It will thus be seen that the insertion or removal of the filler can be accomplished with ease. When the filler is in place in the case, the end edges of the transverse strips I3 are locked against displacement lengthwise of the case, while the interengagement of the projections I I with the grooves IE will lock the strips I4 and consequently the strips I3 interlocked therewith, against vertical displacement with respect to the walls of the case. Thus, the filler will stay in 1 position and cannot be lost in handling as during inspection, removal of the bottles for purposes of washing or stacking on shelves. The filler is effectively locked against any possible removal when empty or full bottles are contained in the case because in this event, the ends of the longitudinal strips [4 will be prevented by the bottles from being displaced sideways sufficiently to enable the projections I! to unlatch from the grooves l6.

While the longitudinal strips M are shown as having one projection or lug I! in a centrally located position on each end thereof, it will be understood that more than one such projection may be provided on each end of a longitudinal strip l4. Thus, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, each end of the longitudinal strip may be provided with a plurality of projections [1' ar-- ranged to interengage with a plurality of grooves l8 provided in the end walls ll of the case. When a plurality of such projections are-sopravided on the longitudinal strip-they should preferably be arranged symmetrically thereon, as illustrated in Fig. 4 so that the filler can be reversed in the case.

Instead of using interlocking projections and grooves such as illustrated in Figs. l-4 of the drawings, it is within the contemplation of the invention to provide projections'on the: end walls H for interlocking with-one" or more notches or recesses provided the ends of. the longitudina'lly extending strips H; In this embodiment of the invention, it is preferred that such projections be composed of lugs provided with shanks that are driven into or otherwise secured to the material of the'end w'alls' ll of; the case at the exact places desired. As is shown in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings'suc'hlugs I-8 arelpreferably of plate-like form so that they will readily enter the recesses [9 in the longitudinal: strips a bottom, the end walls of said case being substantially rigid, a readily insertable and removable filler in said case composed of a plurality of flexible transverse'and longitudinally extending strips connected together as a" unit, a plur'ality of the longitudinal strips insaid filler unit having a, length less than the inside length of said case, and being provided on'their' ends with longitudinally projecting members having a depth substantially less" tnanthe depth of said strips and located between the top and bottom edges thereof, said end walls being provided with horizontal grooves between the top and bottom edges thereof receiving said projecting members in a horizontal direction and coacting with such members to prevent movement of said filler unit in a vertical direction, the ends of said longitudinal strips being capable of being readily flexed out of normal position in a horizontal direction to enable the filler unit to be inserted or received and having sufficient inherent resiliency to cause said projecting members to interlock with such horizontal grooves when released after insertion of the filler into the case.

' 2. A bottle case having side and end walls and. a bottom, the ends walls of said case being substantially rigid, a readily insertable and removabl'e" filler in said case composed of a plurality of flexible transverse and longitudinally extending strips connected together as a unit, a plurality of thelongitudinal strips in said filler unit having a length less than the inside length of said caseand being'provided on their ends with longitudinally projecting, members having a depth substantially lessthan the depth of said strips and located between: the top and bottom edges thereof, the transverse strips in said filler having a length greater than the inside width of said case, said side wallsbeing provided with vertical grooves having open ends at the tops of said side walls, the ends of said transverse strips being slidable'in: the open ends ofsuch grooves to be removably retained such grooves, said end walls being provided with horizontal groovesbetween the top and bottom edges thereof receiving said projecting members in a horizontal direction and coacting with suchmembers to prevent movement of said filler unit in a vertical direction, the ends of saidlongitudinal strips being capable of being readilyflexed out of normal position ina horizontal direction to enable the filler unit to be inserted or received and having sufficient inherent resiliency to cause said projecting members to interlock with such horizontal grooves when released after insertion of the filler into the case.

HUGO C. HAFFNER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 513,646 Vance et a1. Jan. 30, 1894 722,512 Jenne Mar. 10, 1903 998,855 Lunke July 25, 1911 2,264,208 Inman Nov. 25, 1941 2;486,743 Hoffner Nov. l, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 505,892 France May 17, 1920 

